


The Cigarette Duet

by That_Adorable_Fox



Category: Cartoon Therapy (Web Series), Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Cigarettes, Divorce, Drug Abuse, Kid!Thomas, M/M, Multi, Smoking, The critic's name is chad, implied toxic relationships, inspired by The Cigarette Duet by Princess Chelsea, kid!Valerie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:53:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23842552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_Adorable_Fox/pseuds/That_Adorable_Fox
Summary: It's just a cigarette, and it cannot be that badHoney can you trust me? When I want to stop I can.~What seems like a harmless cigarette is the key to a toxic relationship and a divorce.(Or: Emile has put up with Remy's bullsh!t for too long and finally takes his leave)
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Dr. Emile Picani/Sleep | Remy Sanders, Thomas Sanders& Valerie Torres
Comments: 6
Kudos: 46





	The Cigarette Duet

**Author's Note:**

> hey!! This contains:  
> -Drug abuse  
> -toxic relationships  
> -Smoking  
> -Slight child abuse
> 
> Please be careful when reading this!!

_ It's just a cigarette, and it cannot be that bad _

_ Honey can you trust me? When I want to stop I can _

~

Emile hadn't noticed when Remy started smoking. All he knew was that one time he had gotten home to their apartment and smelt the horrible smell of cigarette smoke and the laughing of Remy and his friends in the bedroom. He left his bag on the couch and shrugged off his jacket, hanging it on the coat rack.

“Papa?” Thomas peeked out of his room and made a face at the smoke. 

“Hey kiddo, Daddy’s just eating some weird stuff that smells bad, mkay?” Emile hugged his son close to him. 

“I'm not a baby anymore papa…” Thomas murmured and hugged his papa back.

“You’ll always be my baby.” Emile pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Go work on your homework, I'll talk to dad.”

“Thanks papa.” Thomas smiled at his father and went back into his room.

Emile sighed and went over to Remy’s door, knocking on it.

“Remy, are you in there?”

“Ayyy, Emile’s home!” Remy’s friend Virgil laughed. 

“Hey babes~!” Remy opened the bedroom door and kissed Emile’s cheek. His sunglasses were on, but Emile could tell his eyes were red. 

“Hi you two. Virge, it's great to see you again, but I'm afraid I’ll have to kick you out now.” Emile’s chuckled but his voice was stern.

“Awh, c’mon Emmie. Fun’s just started. Here, want one?” Virgil offered him a cigarette. Emile shook his head. 

“Please get out Virgil.”

“Jesus man, I'm going, I'm going.” Virgil rolled his eyes and got up. “I’ll see ya later Rems.” he punched Remy’s shoulder.

“Bye Vee!!”

Emile sat next to Remy on the bed, taking the cigarette from him and putting it out in the ashtray his husband was holding. 

“Remy. What have I told you about smoking?” He sighed. 

“It's not that bad Ems. I promise.” Remy rolled his eyes. “You used to always do it in high school, remember? It's just for a little de-stressing.”

“I was different in high school, Remy. I don't need to impress anyone by smoking anymore.” Emile narrowed his eyes at Remy. “We have a kid now. The smoke is bad for his lungs, and bad for your lungs. You have to stop.”   
“I’ll stop Em. I’ll stop when I want to.” Remy huffed. 

“You’re going to get addicted Remy, and once you get addicted you won't be able to stop your addiction!”

“It's just one cigarette Emile! If I want to stop, I'll stop. I'm not going to get addicted.” Remy stood up and glared at him. “Just trust me.”

Emile sighed again and watched his husband leave. “I'll trust you…” 

He started smoothing out the bed sheets, groaning when he found multiple cigarette burns.

~

The front door slammed and Emile came out of his office to greet his husband. Remy threw a lazy smile over his shoulder as he hung his coat up, a cigarette in his mouth again. Not to mention he smelled heavily of beer and smoke. 

“Where were you.” Emile glared at him.

“Virgil’s.” Remy replied simply. “Virgil’s with ‘n Chad ‘n Damien ‘n Remus. With drinks. And cigs.”

“What have I told you about drinking and smoking, Remington!?” Emile said exasperatedly.

“Not to?” Remy shrugged. “I don't care. You’re not the boss of me Emile.” 

“That- that doesn't give you permission to go out and get drunk and high!” 

“I don't  _ need  _ permission. I'm an adult.”

“You’re an adult with a family! What kind of role model are you setting for Thomas!?” He motioned to the door covered in stickers with a sign that said  _ Thomas’s Room!!  _ where their son should be sleeping, but was wide awake, listening to his parents fight. 

“I don't need to be a role model, you’re the role model in this family.” Remy crossed the room, dropping his bag and coffee onto the already cluttered kitchen table.

“Role models aren't assigned, you always are one to the people around you! And you’re being a horrible one for you so-  _ mrrmff!”  _

Remy shoved his lips onto Emile’s, stopping him mid-sentence. He pulled back after a few minutes. 

“Forget the cigarettes. I love you. So much.”

“...I do too, Remy.” He barely felt it as Remy guided him into the bedroom, leaving the house in quiet.

Thomas let out a soft whimper, frantically texting Joan and Talyn to get his mind off of the fight and the smoke-and-beer smell slowly infesting the apartment.

~

“That's what you say every time! ‘I can stop when I want to!’ ‘It's not an addiction!’ ‘I'm in control’!’” Emile yelled angrily, throwing his bag down. “But where are you now!? You spend more time at the bar than at home! More time with Virgil and Remus than with us! With me and Thomas! You know, your  _ family!? _ ” 

“Fuck you, Emile!” Remy dropped the ashtray onto the floor, putting his millionth cigarette out on the couch, adding to the millions upon millions of burn holes. “I'm my own person! My own adult! You can't make decisions for me!”

“Daddy-”

“SHUT UP KID.” Thomas shrieked and ducked as Remy threw his coffee cup at his son.

“REMY!” Emile ran over to Thomas, swooping him up in his arms. Thomas pushed his face into his papa’s shoulder, crying silently. “What the  _ hell  _ are you doing!?”

Remy looked just as stunned as Emile. “I…I don't know. Thomas, I-I’m so sorry.” He moved towards them but Emile held Thomas away from him. 

“You  _ don't  _ have control.” He growled, grabbing his work bag and his coat, Thomas grabbing his own coat before going back to hugging Emile. “We’ll come back once you're settled down.”

The door slammed closed and Remy winced. He sighed and threw himself on the couch, his hands lighting a cigarette before he could stop himself. 

~

“Papa…where are we going?” Thomas looked up at Emile, wiping his tears away. 

“We’re going to stay at Patton’s tonight, Tommy. You remember uncle Patton, right?” Emile brushed a hand through Thomas’s hair. “He has a daughter named Valerie, remember?”

Thomas nodded. “Yeah…Valerie got me a pretty dress for Christmas when I was younger.” He smiled and slid down out of Emile’s arms to walk beside him. 

“...What's going to happen to dad, papa?” 

“I don't know Thomas…I’m so sorry.” Emile sighed and squeezed Thomas’s hand. 

~

“Hey Em, hey Thomas, what's wrong?” Patton opened the door, still in his cat pajamas. He looked tired but was awake as soon as he saw Emile’s text.

“Hi Pat, I’m so sorry for coming at such a late time.” Emile was holding a half-asleep Thomas.

“We just...can we stay at your place tonight?”

“Of course, c’mon on in.” Patton opened the door wider to let them in. “You look exhausted Emmie..”

“I feel exhausted.” Emile laughed weakly and walked in, shooting Patton a thankful smile. “Thank you so much.”

“Of course, I’ll get you two situated in the guest room.” Patton locked the door and led Emile upstairs to the bedroom.

“...dada? Why’s uncle Em here?” Valerie came out of the bathroom, confused.

“Uncle Em and Thomas are gonna stay with us for a little, okay Val?” Patton placed a kiss on her head. “Go back to bed darling.”

Valerie nodded, waving at Emile before going back into her bedroom. Emile smiled at her back, laying Thomas onto the bed and tucking him in.

“Patton… Thank you so much.” 

Patton tugged his older brother into a hug. “Of course Emile, I'm always glad to help you out.”

Patton felt his shoulder getting wet and hugged Emile closer. “Is it Remy?”

Emile nodded.

~

The rest of the year passed by in a blur. One week turned into two weeks, turned into one month, turned into four months. Remy and Emile would fight every time they saw each other, including the day Remy arrived to drop the rest of Thomas and Emile’s things off at Patton’s house. Valerie would try to comfort Thomas and make him feel better with everything he used to love; video games, homemade pizza, stuffed animals, stargazing through the skylight. Nothing worked. Thomas was only happy whenever Emile was around to hold him and play with him, which nowadays was rarer and rarer. 

Valerie, being older than Thomas, knew exactly what was going on. She caught the sight of the divorce papers on the table in her dada’s office, and eavesdropped on some of the phone calls her dad, Roman, made. Valerie never told Thomas though. She had a feeling he knew what was going on as well, even if he didn't know the word for it. 

~

“I don't know what happened…” Emile was sitting in the living room, finally working up the courage to tell them why he left. “He was so sweet and wonderful a year ago. Then...then he started getting all bitter -this was before he started smoking- and he stopped spending time with Thomas unless it was to take him to school. Then he stopped kissing me, he would skip out on our family movie nights, and everytime I got home he would be smoking or drinking or  _ both  _ with Virgil or Remus-” Roman winced slightly, “-or this new guy at his work, Chad I think.” 

Emile put his head in his hands. “Then he started yelling…not at Thomas or when he was around, just to me. About little things. About things that didn't involve me. Then...That night we left yelled at Thomas and threw his coffee cup at him.”

Patton’s breath hitched and he put a hand on Emile’s back.

“That's when I knew we had to get out of there. I don't care if he yells at me. But I'm not keeping Thomas around someone who treats him like crap.” He dropped his hands and adjusted his glasses. 

“But...when Thomas screamed I...I saw a flicker of the Remy I once knew. The one I met in high school, who would take me on dates to the park in the night to watch stars and would sneak me free drinks at Starbucks a-and-” Tears started pooling in his eyes and he tried to wipe them away. “ _ My _ Remy is still in there somewhere. But until he can find him again, I’m done with him.”

Patton initiated a family hug and Emile cried into his shoulder. He cried for Thomas, who had to bear witness to whatever horrible person his dad had become. For his Remy, who was buried away under layers and layers of damage that hanging out with the wrong people had done. He cried for their customized wedding rings, the stargazing dates, the long nights of calling during the week when they should have been sleeping, or studying, or finishing homework. 

Emile had hope, though. He had hope that Remy would find who he actually was, what he had done wrong, fix his broken personality, and make plans to fix his family. 

Someday, but not today.

  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


A few years in the future, Emile would receive a call from a number he had long used but never forgotten, with the request to try again.

**Author's Note:**

> Remy and Emile's personalities clash a lot, plus they're not even in the same TS universe. How did they end up being shipped?


End file.
